Choosing a School for a Child With Special Needs

Ruth Birnbaum is a Chartered Educational Psychologist in independent practice, with 27 years' experience in the field of education. A trained teacher with a Masters degree in Educational Psychology, she now visits schools across the UK to consider provision and advise parents and legal consultants on which schools are most appropriate for which children.

Acknowledgements. Explanatory Terms. Introduction. Part 1 - Looking at Specific Definitions of Special Educational Needs. 1. The Definition of Special Educational Needs. 2. Communication and Interaction. 3. Cognition and Learning. 4. Behaviour, Emotional and Social Development. 5. Sensory and Physical Needs. 6. Complex Needs. 7. Medical Needs and School Trips. 8. The Current Law on Special Educational Needs. Part 2 - Understanding the Background. 9. Understanding the Child's Needs and the Role of Assessment by a Psychologist. 10. How to Draw Up a List of Schools. 11. Getting the Right Documents. Part 3 - Setting Up a Visit. 12. How to Set Up a Visit. 13. Looking at the Physical School Environment in General. 14. Looking at the Classroom Environment. 15. Making a Record of the School Visit. Part 4 - Looking at Specific Provision/Intervention. 16. Teaching for Specific Learning Difficulties. 17. Intervention for Sensory Needs. 18. Autistic Provision. 19. Music Therapy, Drama Therapy, Play Therapy and Psychotherapy. 20. Counselling and Mentoring. 21. Speech and Language Therapy. 22. Occupational Therapy. 23. Physiotherapy. Part 5 - Other Important Issues to Consider. 24. Integration and Inclusion. 25. Religious Beliefs, Co-Education, Small Classes, School Size and Transition. 26. Equality and Discrimination. Part 6 - Different School Models. 27. Mainstream Schools. 28. Special Units in Mainstream Schools. 29. Special Schools. 30. Dual Placements. 31. Pupil Referral Units. 32. Residential Schools. 33. Home Education. 34. Hospital Schools. 35. Studio Schools and Virtual Schools. Part 7 - Summary. 36. Evaluating the Findings. Bibliography. Resources and Useful Organisations. Websites. Index